Airship.



M. ENGSTROM.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.1

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

IN VEN TOR A T TOR/VIE V M. ENGSTROM.

-AIRSHIP.

AIPLIOATION FILED NOV. 1, mm,

1,012,532. Patented Dec.19,1911

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR WITN ssss:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAURITZ ENGSTROM, OF GLAM FALLS, WISCONSIN.

.AIRSHIP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAURITZ ENGSTROM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Clam Falls, in the county of Polk and State of WVisconsin,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Airships, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawlng.

This invention relates to improvements in air-ships.

The object of my invent-ion is to provide an air-ship in which the shipproper consists of an elongated cylindrically shaped vessel, beingsomewhat conical in form and having pivotally suspended from its underside a car for carrying the operator and a mechanism for generating thepower.

Another object of my invention is to provide a ship proper with apropelling mechanism, the same being of such a shape as to convey thepower fluid by means of which the said propellers are caused to rev lve.

A still further object of my invention is to provide the ship proper atits forward and at its rear ends with a drawing and pushing propeller,each adjustable on a vertical pivot, whereby the ship may be steered.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a ship of-thischaracter having certain details of structure hereinafter more fully setforth.

In the accompanying drawingsFigure 1 is an enlarged side elevation of animproved air-shlp showing the ship proper and the car in a parallelposition. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the shipproper taken on the line 22, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged verticalsectional view through the center of one of the vertically disposedpropellers, showing the means by which the blades are feathered.

Referring now tothe drawings, 1 represents a cylindrical vessel forming,the ship slightly conical, as indicated at 1.

proper and which has its forward end The rear end has a straightVertical wall 2', as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Theconical-shaped forward portion of the ship is for the purpose ofreducing the friction of the machine as it passes through the air.

Mounted upon the upper end of the shi proper, are series of motors 2carrying vertically disposed shafts 3, having at their upper ends thelifting fans 1. I have shown four Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 1, 1910.

Patented Dec. 19, 1911. Serial No. 590,229.

of these lifting fans, but it is understood that any desired number maybe used. These motors 2 receive the ower from a pipe 6, communicatingwith the ship proper and having branch pipes leading to the severalmotors. The blades 4: of the fans 1, are made somewhat crescent-shapedin trans verse cross-section, as shown in Fig. 1, which is essential soas to catch as much air as possible and exert the greatest amount ofliftin power when revolved.

ounted upon the upper end of the ship proper, between the two forwardfans and between the two rear fans are two motor propelled shafts 8carrying a propeller upon each end, and these fans are identical instructure. The motors 9 from which the shafts 8 derive their power aresupplied with air through a suitable pipe connected to the main pipe 6,and said motors are adapted to revolve the shaft 8 in a clockwisedirection. The shafts 8 extend out beyond the sides of the ship properand are supported by suitable brackets 13'. Carried by the bracket 13 isa sleeve 13. upon which is mounted a fixed hub 14. The shaft 8 extendsout through the sleeve 13, and through the hub 14, and has mountedthercon the hub rim 1|. This hub rim 11 has a series of propeller blades10, rotatably mounted therein, the inner ends 12 of said propellerblades are provided with cranks 12 which extend into a spiral groove 15,in the hub 14:. From this description, it will be seen that the sleeve13 is held against rotation and the rotation of the shaft 8 causes therim 1 1 to revolve carrying the propeller blades. The propeller bladesare caused to oscillate owing to the crank 12', traveling in the groove15 of the hub 14. The relative arrangement of the hub 1a and the rim 11is such that the propeller blades feather so that the propellers exertonly a lifting power. These vertically arranged propellers not onlyexert a great lifting power, but they are also designed to thoroughlycut up and destroy as much as possible the thrust of the descending airfrom the vertical lifting fans and thereby prevent the downward draftcaused by said fans to unbalance the machine and thus cause a betterbalanced machine.

Pivotally attached to the bow end of the cylinder 1, is the motor drivenpropeller shaft 15 which motor 15 derives its power from the reservoir 1through the pipe 6 and passing operates the drawing or sucking propeller16. This shaft 15 with its motor 15 being pivoted at 17 is held inposition laterally by suitable steering chains or lines 18 which runthrough suitable sheaves 19 and 20 mounted upon the side of the cylinder1 and lead to the operating drum in the car which will be more fullyexplained later.

At the stern of the cylinder 1 is pivoted the motor driven propellershaft 21, which is identical in every respect with that of the bowpropelle'nexcept that the blades of the after propeller are arranged tothrust or push instead of pull as in thecase of the bow one, and both ofsaid,propellers unite in propelling and' steering the ship. The shaft 21and its motor are held in position by means of the steering lines 22pass ing through sheaves 23 and 24 to the operating drum, the steeringlines on the opposite side of the ship to that in the drawings throughsimilar sheaves to the opposite side of the steering drum as is c0mmonin such practice.

25 represents the car, which as before stated, is pivot-ally suspendedfrom the under side of the cylinder at 26 in the bracket 27 securelyfastened to the cylinder 1, the car being preferably rectangular incross section and flat bottomed.

28 is a tilting rod pivoted in the bracket 27 just above the pivot 26,the opposite ehd of which rod is attached to the quadrant lever 29 inthe car, whereby the horizontal position of the car in relation to thelocomotive may be readily changed as required in ascending anddescending.

The forward end of thebottorn of the car is tapered upward and slightlyconcaved as shown at 30, this being for the purpose of more easilysurmounting the air and the lower corner of the stern is preferablyslightly rounded.

Within the car and in any convenient location is the steering wheel 31mounted upon the shaft 32, which carries the drum 33- around which thesteering lines or cables from the bow and stern propellers are wound andoperated, which in turn determines the position of the same and guidesthe ship laterally.

34 represents an electric storage battery which-furnishes power to theelectric motor 35, which in turn operates the air compressor 36, wherebycompressed air is supplied to the reservoir or cylinder 1, through theflexible pipe 37.

Suitable cable operated spring valves 38 are interposed between thevarious motors and the airsupply pipe 6 so that the motors may begoverned by the operator from the car 25, and for which purpose thevarious cables 39 lead through suitable sheaves 40 and down through averticaltunnel or tube 41, through the cylinder 1 to a set of the airmotors which I have illustrated are of the type used for drilling andsuch work, and I do not wish to limit myself to details in construction,as these will doubtlessvary greatly under different circumstances.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. An air-ship comprising a body portion, a car suspended from the bodyportion, means within the car supplying the power to the body portion,and propellers carried by the body portion and operated by the power inthe body portion.

2. An air-ship c'ompr1sing a body-portion, lifting fans and propellerfans carried thereby, means carried by the body-portion for operatingsaid fans, a car pivotally carried by the body portion, and meanscarried by the car for supplying the body-portion with the power foroperating the fans.

3. An air-ship comprising a body-portion, lifting fans and propellerfans carried by the body-portion, means carried by the body-portion foroperating said fans, a source of power carried and driving said fanoperating mechanism, a car suspended from the body portion, and meanswithin the car for generating power 'and supplying it to thebody-portion.

4:. An air-ship comprising a body-portion, lifting fans and propellingfans carried by the body-portion, a separate and independent fluidoperated motor for each fan and receiving its power from thebodyportion, a car pivotally suspended from the lower end of thebody-portion and means carried by the car for supplying the body portionwith the necessary fluid.

5. An air-ship comprising an elongated body portion, vertically arrangedlifting fans, horizontally arranged propelling fans, a separate motorfor each fan, a fluid supply pipe connected to the body portion andcommunicating with each of said motors, a car pivotally suspendedfromthe lower end ried by the car for supplying the tion with body porbythe body-portion the necessary fluid, andmeans '70 those which give thegreatest I carried by the car for operating said compressor.

6. An air-shaft comprising a body portion, lifting fans and propellingfans carried thereby, the propeller fans horizontally adjustable, acarpivotally suspended from the lower end of the body portion, a leverwithin the car for adjusting the relative positions of the car and thebody-portion, means within the car for moving said driving fans forsteering the machine, and a power generator carried by the car forsupplying the body-portion with the necessary power to propel the fans.

7. An air-ship of the character described, a body-portion, lifting fansand propelling fans carriedby the body-portion, a separate motor foreach fan, a supply pipe connected to the body-portion and communi-'eating with the separate motors for driving the fans, a car pivotallysuspended by the body portion, a lever for adjusting the relativeposition ofthe car and body portion, an air-compressor within the carfor sup plying the body portion with compressed air, 0

storage battery for driving said motor.

8. An air-ship comprising a body-port'on, lifting fans carried thereby,driving fans pivotally supported at the forward and rear ends of thebody-portion, a car pivotally suspended from the lower end of the bodyportion, a link connected to the body portion and to the lever carriedby the car, whereby the relative position of the car and body-portionmay be changed, cables connected to the driving fansbeyond their pivotalconnection with the body-portion and passing over blocks carried by thebody'portion and around the drum carried by the car and means foroperating said drum whereby the driving fans may be moved horizontallysubstantially as described.

9. An air ship comprising a body-portion, lifting fans carried thereby,driving fans horizontally pivoted at the forward and rear ends of thebody portion, a car pivotally suspended from the lower end of the. bodyportion, means for adjusting the relative position of the car andbody-portion, cables secured to the drive fans on the outside of thepivotal'connection with the body portion and passing over blocks carriedby the body-portion and around a drum carried by the car, the saidcables so wound upon the drum that the ti irningof the drum will throw.the rear fan in one direction and the forward fan in the reversedirection, substantially as described.

10. An air ship comprising an elongated body portion vertically arrangedlifting fans horizontally arranged propelling fans, motors for saidfans, a. fluid supply pipe connected to the body portion andcommunicating with said motors, a car suspended from the lower end ofthe body-portion, and means within the car for supplying thebody-portion with the necessary fluid.

11. An air ship comprising an elongated body-portion, Verticallyarranged lifting fans horizontally arranged propelling fans,

a motor for driving said compressor and] a separate motor for each fan,a fluid supply pipe connected to the body-portion and communicating witheach of said motors, a car pivotally suspended from the lower end of thebody-portion, a link connecting said body-portion and a lever carried bythe car, an air compressor carried by the car and having a flexible pipeconnecting it with the body portion, and means carried by the car foroperating said compressor.

. 12. An air ship, comprising a body portion, lifting fans andpropelling fans carried by the body portion, vertically pivoted steeringfans carried by the forward and rear ends of the bod portion, a separatemotor for the propelling, lifting and steering fans, a supply pipeconnected to the body portion and communicating with the separate motorsfor driving the fans, a car pivotally suspended by the body portion, alever for adjusting the relative position of the car and body-portion,an air compressor within the car for supplying the body portion withcompressed air, a motor for driving said compressor, and cables securedto the guide fans on the outside of the pivotal connection with the bodyportion and passing over the blocks carried by the body-portion, a drumcarried by the car and around which the cables are wound in oppositedirections, whereby the rotation of the drum will throw the rear fan inone direction and the forward fan in the reverse direction,substantially as described.

, 13. An air-ship comprising a body-portion, lifting fans carried by thebody portion, propeller fans carried by the body portion, means carriedby the body-portion for operating said fans, a source of power carriedby the body-portion, a car suspended from the body portion and meanswithin the car for generatingthe power and supplying it to the bodyportion.

14:. An air-ship comprising a body portion, a fan carried by the bodyportion for propelling and lifting the same, means carried by the bodyportion for operating said fans, a source of power carried by thebodyportion and driving said fan operating mechanism, a car suspendedfrom the bodyportion, means for adjusting the relative position of thecar and body portion, and means carried by the car for supplying thebody portion with the necessary source of power.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

MAURITZ ENG STROM.

Witnesses:

DANIEL JOHNSON, CONSTANCE DANIELS.

